The present disclosure broadly relates to the art of spring devices and, more particularly, to a gas spring and gas damper assembly that includes a plurality of damping chambers arranged in series with one another, as well as a vehicle suspension system including one or more of such gas spring and gas damper assemblies.
Suspension systems, such as may be used in connection with apparatuses, such as motorized vehicles, for example, can include one or more spring elements for accommodating forces and loads associated with the operation and use of the corresponding apparatus (e.g., a motorized vehicle) to which the suspension system is operatively connected. In such applications, it is often considered desirable to utilize spring elements that operate at a lower relative spring rate, as such a reduced spring rate can favorably influence certain performance characteristics, such as vehicle ride quality and comfort, for example. That is, it is well understood in the art that the use of a spring element having a higher spring rate (i.e. a stiffer spring) will transmit a greater magnitude of inputs (e.g., road inputs) to the sprung mass and that, in some applications, this could undesirably affect the sprung mass, such as, for example, by resulting in a rougher, less-comfortable ride of a vehicle. Whereas, the use of spring elements having lower spring rates (i.e., a softer or more-compliant spring) will transmit a lesser amount of the inputs to the sprung mass.
Such suspension systems also commonly include one or more dampers or damping components that are operative to dissipate energy associated with undesired inputs and movements of the sprung mass, such as road inputs occurring under dynamic operation of a vehicle, for example. Typically, such dampers are liquid filled and operatively connected between a sprung and unsprung mass, such as between a body and axle of a vehicle, for example. One example of such damping components are conventional shock absorbers that are commonly used in vehicle suspension systems.
In other arrangements, however, the dampers or damping components can be of a type and kind that utilizes gas rather than liquid as the working medium. In such known constructions, the gas damper portion permits gas flow between two or more volumes of pressurized gas, such as through one or more orifices, as shown, for example, in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0124571, or through one or more valve ports, as shown, for example, in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0173723. Generally, there is some resistance to the movement of pressurized gas through these passages or ports, and this resistance acts to dissipate energy associated with the gas spring portion and thereby provide some measure of damping.
One factor that may be limiting the broader adoption and use of gas spring and gas damper assemblies relates to the additional volumes of pressurized gas that are utilized by some designs. Certain difficulties relating to the incorporation of such additional volumes of pressurized gas in proximal association with the corresponding gas spring and gas damper assembly. As one example, motorized vehicle commonly include significant packaging and/or space limitations that can reduce the volume that is available adjacent the gas spring and gas damper assembly for storing pressurized gas. As such, in some cases, a reduced volume of pressurized gas may be used. In other cases, the desired volume of pressurized gas may be provided in a remote location relative to the gas spring and gas damper assembly. In either case, some decrease in damping performance may result.
Accordingly, it is desired to develop a gas spring and gas damper assembly as well as a suspension system including one or more of such assemblies that overcome the foregoing and/or other difficulties associated with known constructions, and/or which may otherwise advance the art of gas spring and gas damper assemblies.